Supporting structure for trolley-conductors.



H. P. DAVIS & T. VARNEY. SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR TEOLLEY GONDUOTORS.APPLIOATION FILED 00T.19I 1904.

1,076,630; Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@440 6.6% Z L I TTOR'NEY coLuMm/ PLANOGRAIH co.. WASHINGTON, h. c.

H. P. DAVIS & T. VARNEY. SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR TROLLEY GONDUGTORS.

' APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1904. 1,076,630. 4. Patented 0ct.21,1913.

2 SHBETSSHEET z.

my. a.

(MOQLS UNITED STATES PATENT FFQ.

HARRY P. DAVIS AND THEODORE VARNEY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AS-

SIGNORS T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC 6t MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORA-TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR TROLLEY-CGNIDUCTORS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HARRY P. DAVIS andTnnononn VARNEY, citizens of the United States, and residents ofPittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in supporting Structures forTrolley-Conductors, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to apparatus for supporting and insulatingoverhead trolley conductors, and it has for its object to provide asimple, efficient and durable means for affording proper andsatisfactory support for trolley conductors which are utilized forsupplying high voltage energy to high speed railway equipments.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a trolleypole provided with conductor supporting and insulating devices whichembody our invention. Fig. 2 is a detail, end elevation of a ring clampfor making connection between a messenger wire and an insulator. Fig. 3is a side elevation of a supporting insulator and adjacent parts, aportion of the supporting arm upon which the said insulator and partsare mounted being also shown. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the partsshown in Fig. 3, the supporting arm being, however, shown in section.

The utilization of high voltage, alternating current energy for highspeed railway service demands an overhead structure which is moresubstantial in many respects and which provides a higher degree ofinsulation than is afforded by structures which have heretoforegenerally been used in railway work. Our present invention has beendesigned and is specially well adapted for high tension, alternatingcurrent service, but it is equally well adapted, so far as operatingconditions are concerned, to lower voltages and to direct currents aswell as to alternating currents.

The apparatus here shown as embodying our invention is utilized inconnection with a single line or set of trolley poles arranged along oneside of a single-track road or between the two tracks of a double-trackroad. lVe have shown a single pole 1, to which is rigidly fastened, atthe proper height, one end of a horizontally projecting arm 2, this armbeing shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 as an Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1904.

Patented Get. 21, 1913.

Serial No. 229,178.

iron or steel tube of annular cross-section. Upon the arm 2, at adistance from the pole 1 corresponding to approximately the center ofthe track-provided a trolley is tobe employed which is centrally locatedon the car,-we locate an adjustable insulating support 3, the insulatorportion of which may be a tube or cylinder 4 of porcelain or othersuitable non-conducting material having the requisite strength andinsulating properties and preferably having surface corrugations thatare formed by one or more circumferential grooves 5 and alternatingannular projections or ribs 6. The insulator 4 may be mounted upon andsecurely cemented to a metal sleeve 7 that fits loosely upon the arm andprojects beyond each end of the insulator to form a substantiallysemi-cylindrical member 8 of a two-part clamping sleeve. The other part9 of the clamping sleeve is provided with laterally projecting arms 10,the outer ends of which are provided with sockets 11 to receive the endsof outwardly and downwardly projecting, U- shaped guard wires or rods 12and with bolts 13- for clamping the ends of the wires or rods 12 in thesockets. The two parts 8 and 9 of the clamping sleeve are clampedtogether around the arm 2 by means of a U-shaped wire or rod 14, theends of which project through suitable openings in the correspondingarms 10 and are provided with clamping nuts 15. By reason of the loosefit between the sleeve 7 and the arm 2, the device 3 may be adjustedalong the arm 2 to any extent desired, provided the clamping nuts 15 areloosened.

The trolley conductor 16 is supported at the desired distance above thetrack by means of a messenger cable 17 that is, in turn, supported fromthe insulators 4 so as to assume catenary curves between the saidinsulators. The wires or rods 12 extend beneath and around the messengercable and serve the double purpose of arresting the fall of the cable incase one of its supporting devices breaks and of preventing injury tothe insulator by the trolley in case it slips from the trolley conductorand flies upward under the action of the means employed for holding itin contact with the conductor. The hangers 18 which connect the trolleyconductor to the messenger cable may be of any character suited to theservice and need not be here described, since they do not constituteapart of our present invention. The messenger cable may be supportedfrom each or the insulators l by means of a two-part hanger 19, whichisclamped rigidly around the cable by means of bolts 20 and is providedwith a double hook forming a ring 21 that is received in an opening 22in a twopart ring clamp 23 of such diameter as to surround and fit themiddle portion of the insulator l. The two parts of the ring clamp 23-have a hinge connection at their lower ends by means of the ring 21 andtheir upper ends'are respectively provided with an eye 24 and a hook 25so that the device may be readily applied to the insulator and asreadilyremoved when desired.

In order to securely support and brace the arm 2 in a horizontalposition, we may provide a brace arm 26, the inner and lower end ofwhich is securely attached to the pole 1, preferably by means of a hingeconnection 27 as indicated, and the upper and outer end of which isprovided with a tubular head 28 which surrounds the arm 2 and is lockedthereto by a set-screw 29 or other suitable} locking or clamping device.5

In order to'steady the trolley wire against; lateral'swing'or vibration,we provide a rod '30:, one endof which is attached to the trol-j 'leyconductor by a suitable'clamping device;

31 and the other end'of which is hinged to a clamping ring 23 whichconstitutes a part or an insulating and supporting device 3 thatcorresponds, in all respects, to the device 3 with which the arm 2 isprovided, eXcept that the U-shap'ed wires or rods 12 and the means forsupporting them are omitted.

It will be understood that the device just described not only afior'dsan efiective safeguard against lateral swing or vibration or the trolleyconductor, butjals'o effectively insulates the conductor from thesupporting brace arm 26.

Instead of connecting the steadying rod 30 to the brace arm 23, itobviously might be connected to some other part of the supportingstructure, if desired. o

The details of the invention may be still further varied, as regards theform and dimensions of parts and also as regards the cooperatingrelations of certain of the elements, without departing from ourinvention. I

lVe claim as our invention:

1. An overhead structure for electric railways comprising. a pole, alaterally projecting arm provided with an insulator, a detachable clampsurrounding said insulator, a messenger wire or cable loosely supportedfrom said clamp and U-shaped guard wires or rods that project outwardlyand downwardly from the supporting arm around and beneath the messengerwire or cable.

2. An overhead structure for electric railways comprising a pole, an armprojecting laterally therefrom and provided with an adjustableinsulator, an auxiliary support for saidarm, a messenger wire or cablesupported from sald insulator and U-shaped guard wlres or rodsGXtQIlCllIlg downwardly and outwardly from the supporting :arm 7 aroundthe messenger wire or cable.

3. In an overhead structure forelectric railways, the combination with arod or bar, of a porcelain tube having a sleeve which surrounds the rodor bar and to which, the tube is cemented, said sleeve having projectingends, clamps for fastening the projecting sleeve ends to the rod or bar,and U-shaped rods that project outwardly, and downwardly from saidclamping devices.

4. In an overhead structure for electric railways, the combinationwith apole, an arm projecting laterally therefrom, an insulator mounted uponsaid arm, an, auxiliary support between said arm andjthe pole, amessenger wire or cable' det-achably suspended from said insulator, atrolley conductor suspended from said messenger wire or cable, andU-shaped guard wires or rods that extend from the ends of the insulatoraround and beneath the messenger wire or cable.

5. In a catenary suspensionv for trolley wires, an arm, an insulatorsupported there on, a guard for said insulator, a messenger wiresupported by said insulator, a trolley wire from'said messenger wlre.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto 100 subscribed our names this 8thday of Octo- 'be'r',1904[. I

HARRY P. DAVIS.

THEODORE VARNEY.

Witnesses:

CAROLINE SMYERs, CARL P. NAoHoD, BmNEY HINEs;

opi'e' of this patent ina'y be obtained. for five ce'iit s each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, ,D. C.

